Study Links Smaller Classes To Higher Earnings

By Debra Viadero

The long-term economic benefits of reducing class sizes in the early grades outweigh the costs, a Princeton University researcher says in a new report.

Alan B. Krueger's projections, contained in a paper released last Thursday by the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute, add a new wrinkle to the ongoing debate over whether reducing class sizes can be an effective tool for improving learning.

In an effort to cut class sizes nationwide, President Clinton pledged in 1998 to provide federal funding to add 100,000 new teachers to schools, and Vice President Al Gore has promised to do more of the same if he wins the presidential election next month. But some policymakers and researchers argue that the expense of hiring enough teachers to staff those smaller classes...